Gangrene (Oh No & Alchemist) 'Gutter Water' Tracklist & Artwork

Gangrene Gutter Water on Decon arrives November 22nd.

Artwork by acclaimed indy artist Dan Park.

Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Boss Shit (Cuts by DJ Romes)
03. Not High Enough
04. Gutter Water (ft. Raekwon)
05. Get Into Some Gangster Shit (ft. Planet Asia)
06. Take Drugs
07. Chain Swinging (Cuts by DJ Romes)
08. Wassup Wassup (ft. Fashawn and Evidence)
09. All Bad (Cuts by DJ Romes)
10. Breathing Down Yo Neck (ft. MED)
11. From Another Orbit (ft. Roc C)
12. Ransom
13. Standing In The Shadows
14. Brass Knuckle Rap (ft. Guilty Simpson)
15. Not Leaving (ft. Big Twins)

Rihanna Names New Album 'Loud'

via the L.A. Times

Although we can’t necessarily say Rihanna is back, since she didn't go anywhere -- she is making a comeback of sorts.

The self-proclaimed "good girl gone bad" is back to her dance roots on her new single, “Only Girl (In the World),” which she debuted Tuesday on Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show.

After taking a more macabre approach to her fourth disc, “Rated R,” she's gone in a decidedly more “sassy, fun, flirty [and] energetic” direction on her fifth disc, “Loud.”

“Get loud, everybody. Get crazy. Get excited. 'Cause I'm pumped. I'm just gonna be me,” she told fansite RihannaDaily.com during a live chat.

“I’m done recording the whole album ... I made sure not to let you down with my music! You guys are always defending me, so now you've got some great songs to justify it. I didn't want to go backward and remake [2007's] ‘Good Girl Gone Bad.’ I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it's perfect for us.”

The single was produced by Stargate, the same Grammy-winning producing team responsible for some of her biggest hits, including “Rude Boy,” “Unfaithful,” “Hate That I Love You” and the dance anthem “Please Don't Stop the Music.”

With its club ready bassline and Euro-pop influences, not to mention one heck of an epic chorus, the track is a surefire hit. “Want you to make me feel, like I'm the only girl in the world,” she sings. “Like I’m the only one that you'll ever love, like I'm the only one who knows your heart.”

“Loud” is slated to hit stores in November.

Listen to Rihanna's new song HERE

Shawn Chrystopher 'You And Only You' New Release Set For October 19th

via the press release

Recording artist Shawn Chrystopher is set to release his Sophomore LP, entitled "You, and Only You" on October 19th, 2010. After the widely popular debut album "A City With No Seasons" last year, and the ever-growing "The Audition EP" (released March 2010) Shawn is ready to get back to what he does best and provide listeners with an in-dept an artistic look into his life and everything that surrounds it.

"This album will almost be like a diary or journal of what's been going in my life. I feel that if you write about human experiences, you never limit your audience because these will be stories and emotions that we all go through on a daily basis."

After parting ways with Elitaste management, which Shawn considers being the "best decision I've made in my entire life," he's eager for the world to hear an album that won't be filled with the decisions and direction of people who he feels "dont care about the artistic nature of music."

"I dont regret many things, but I do regret my decision to be linked with them for the time that I was. I just got tired of the 'make music to make money' mindset and was ready to be an artist again. There was no true loyalty or love for music, everyone is just a check. I feel that if the money is supposed to come, it comes...but it will with me being who I am. There was just only so much I can take of going into the studio every night and being constantly forced to make a song for radio."

"You, and Only You" will feature production from Shawn and his production partner Cameron Wallace, as well as well-known producer Apple Juice Kid.

"When its all said and done, and everyone turns their back on you....you have to make a choice to either quit or continue on," says Shawn. "When its you and only you, do you have the heart and strength to go on? This album will prove that I do."

Huey 'Redemption' Album Info And Tracklist

via the press release

Huey Redemption on EMI/OMG/Que Records set to arrive September 14th.

Huey is a talented young St. Louis-born artist best known for his debut chart-topping hit “Pop Lock and Drop It,” which was a top 3 single on the Billboard charts and for being featured on “MTV Jams”, appearances on MTV’s “Cribs” a performance on the finale of “America’s Best Dance Crew” and for becoming a staple on BET’s “106 & Park” countdown for almost two straight months. The subsequent remix with T-Pain & Bow Wow only solidified “Pop Lock and Drop It” status as a bonafide smash. Huey’s debut LP, Notebook Paper, (2007 Jive Records) featured production from T-Pain, Mannie Fresh, Jazzy Pha and Stargate and it was a Top 5 Hip-Hop debut on the Billboard charts.

Grounded on the same streets that produced successes among the likes of Nelly, Chingy and the St. Lunatics, Huey’s approach is a refreshing one. "I'm versatile," he offers matter of factly. "It's like whatever the beat tells me to do – it could be relaxed on a cool level to where I'm explaining my feelings for a female. It could be me explaining my feelings for money. It could be dancing in the club, crunk in the club. It's a bunch of everything that's going to be on this album."

After experiencing some delays in securing his release from Jive Records, Huey’s sophomore LP, Redemption (release date 9-14-2010), is finally ready for release and the LP’s lead-single, “Smile and Wave,” feat. Dorrough is currently available at iTunes and the track was featured on the AOL Music homepage with 30 million plus uniques. The LP’s follow-up single, “I Go Crazy,” feat. Colby O’Donis will also impact in the immediate future. Huey’s “Hello To All My Haterz” video premiered on Worldstarhiphop.com in the top slot and has already received millions of views.

Only five years in, Huey has already climbed the rap totem-pole and already speaks like a seasoned veteran. And while outside opinions may sway, he's clearly been placed in a situation to carry on the musical following of St. Louis – by any means necessary. "Right now, we're viewed as commercial flat out," Huey says. "Right now we're just looked at as a commercial place and it's not that. We're not just commercial. It's gutter in St. Louis and me as a young person, it probably would be hard to believe. That's why you gotta straight give it to ‘em. It's a new St. Louis and that's what I'm about to show err'body."

“Huey’s ‘Redemption’ is party-feel-good, make-you-want-to-dance music and it’s being released just in time to make the summer hit lists,” said Que Records’ CEO Quayshaun. “I am very excited about this joint venture between my label and OMG Media and our distribution deal with EMI. Huey is next in line to impact the music industry.

Tracklisting and credits for Huey’s Redemption LP:

01. Redemption
02. Hello 2 All My Haters
03. Smile & Wave ft. Dorrough
04. I Go Crazy ft. Colby O’ Donis
05. Rain
06. High f/JR
07. Famous f/Mack
08. U
09. Section
10. So Good (Get It Girl)
11. Why So Serious
12. Retarded

¡MAYDAY! 'Stuck On An Island' Release Set For Release October 12th

via the press release

October 12 marks the latest release from Miami-based hip-hop collective ¡MAYDAY! entitled Stuck on an Island (¡MAYDAY! Music). Stuck on an Island is the follow-up to 2009’s teaser EP Technology, both of which blaze with an upbeat, tightly wound energy that keeps the listener grooving with its slick production and singing along with its ultra-catchy hooks. The album’s title pays homage to the trials and tribulations the band has faced trying to "escape" Miami. Producer/guitarist Plex Luthor explains: “Miami is paradise, but at the same time the geography has always made us feel like outsiders in the larger pond. We want to get our music to the masses, but sometimes the walls around the port of Miami make it difficult to break out. We want to make sure the world knows musicians from this city can compete culturally with the best of them.”

While Stuck on an Island is only ¡MAYDAY!’s second full-length album, the band has consistently turned out addictive urban alternative tracks that have permeated the local Miami music scene and beyond, grabbing the ear of hip-hip impresario Lil’ Wayne who used the group as his personal band in the videos “Get a Life,” “Da Da Da” and “On Fire.” ¡MAYDAY! also collaborated with Cee-Lo on the hit song "Groundhog Day" from their self-titled debut of which mtvU said, “Like Gorillaz covering Gnarls Barkley, the gospel funk-hop assault of the ¡MAYDAY! single “Groundhog Day” would be enough for most to base a career on.” The music video logged over 2 million hits on YouTube in its first two days and made the band a breakout success story, garnering attention from the New York Times, MTV and URB Magazine. They went on to share stages with Daft Punk, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Method Man, winning over audiences around the country with their high-octane live show.

The dynamic songs Stuck on an Island call to mind a who’s who of alt-hip-hop’s most cutting edge and creative stars like Gnarls Barkley, N*E*R*D or Lupe Fiasco. Tracks like “I’ll Be Gone,” “Picture Perfect,” “No 1’s Looking,” “Worse Case Scenario,” and “Make a Living” form the backbone of an album of diverse styles that always manages to surprise and never ceases to get your head bobbing and your body moving.

The stunning cover art for Stuck on an Island was rendered by Jeff Dekal with creative input from all the members of the band. Using several types of media to give the image a lifelike quality, the scene is meant to depict the band’s feeling of isolation, and the small details - the guitar inputs plugged into Plex Luthor’s arm, and the futuristic shades they all wear - highlight that the band’s distinctive style.

¡MAYDAY! is: guitarist/producer Plex Luthor, MCs Wrekonize (you might remember him from MTV Battles) and BernBiz, bassist/keyboardist Gianni Ca$h, drummer L.T. Hopkins and percussionist Nonymous

Track listing for Stuck on an Island:

01. I’ll Be Gone
02. Stuck on an Island ft. 7King
03. No 1’s Lookin
04. Lost Highway
05. Broads & Freqs
06. Transparent ft. Snave Nair
07. Freak Show
08. Smoke & Mirrors
09. On 2 Somethn ft. Jovi Rockwell
10. Worst Case Scenario ft. The Money Making Jam Boys

More info:
¡MAYDAY! website
¡MAYDAY! Myspace
¡MAYDAY! Twitter

Rah Digga On Working With Producer Nottz "I Couldn’t Even Hear Anybody Else On The Album"

via XXL

Former Flipmode Squad member Rah Digga recently chopped it up with XXLMag.com about her upcoming album, Classics.

The disc—her first since her 1999 debut Dirty Harriet on Elektra Records—is expected to drop this summer, through indie imprint Raw Koncept.

“It’s all Nottz production and all Rah Digga rhyming,” the femcee confidently told XXL.

This is not the first time the two have been in the studio together. Nottz, who has worked with everyone from Scarface to Kanye West to Snoop Dogg, was responsible for producing a handful of tracks off Dirty Harriet.

“A guy by the name of Lucas [from Raw Koncept] said you need to let Nottz do the whole album,” the New Jersey native said. “And we argued and went back and forth, you know, I just couldn’t see it at the time…As we started recording, by the time I got to that tenth song, it got to the point where I couldn’t even hear anybody else on the album.”

Digga recently dropped the guitar driven track “Warning Shots” last month. She plans to follow it up with her first official single from the album, “Who Gon’ Check Me Boo?”

Nas and Damian Marley Add Lil Wayne & Reggae Great Dennis Brown On 'Distant Relatives' Tracklist

via XXL

Last night (Wednesday, March 10), XXLMag.com previewed the collaborative project from Nas and Damian Marley, Distant Relatives, and it seems as if is the long awaited album is almost ready to see the light of day.

The disc, set to come out through Universal Republic in either May or June, features cameos from Lil Wayne, Joss Stone, K’NAAN and Jamaican music legend Dennis Brown, as well as a bonus track with Junior Reid. All 14-songs, which were dedicated to the hoods in America and Africa, were produced by Marley, who seamlessly merges the worlds of hip-hop and reggae.

Distant Relatives singles, “Strong Will Continue” and “As We Enter,” have already made their way online.

Nas and Damian previously worked together on “Road to Zion” for Marley’s 2005 solo effort, Welcome to Jamrock.

Nas and Damian 'Distant Relatives' official track listing below:

01. As We Enter
02. Tribal War ft. K’NAAN
03. Strong Will Continue
04. Leaders
05. Wisdom (Sabali)
06. Count Your Blessings
07. Disappear
08. The Promised Land ft. Dennis Brown
09. Nah Mean
10. Angola (Friends)
11. My Generation ft. Lil Wayne and Joss Stone
12. Africa Must Wake Up ft. K’NAAN
13. BONUS TRACK Ancient People ft. Junior Reid
+
"In His Own Word" will also be included on the album

DaVinci 'The Day The Turf Stood Still' Album Download Available Now + Hometown Paper Feature

via S.F. Weekly

The song "What You Finna Do?," released earlier this month by Fillmore District rapper DaVinci, opens with a vocal sample from the 2001 PBS documentary The Fillmore. It condenses the gentrification process the area underwent from the 1960s into one slogan, lamenting, "Basically, after the urban renewal, it was basically Negro removal." As the gloomy beat kicks in, DaVinci starts to rap, eventually coining his update on the situation: "Down the corner of the street used to be the spot/Till they replaced all the liquor stores with coffee shops." The rest of his debut album, The Day the Turf Stood Still, released in both free download (alternate link - here) and retail versions this week, repeats the motif. It's no surprise, considering the changes he witnessed on his block.

"My grandmother came to San Francisco from Texas in the 1950s," he says. "She bought her home, a three-apartment unit, for $15,000 and paid it off before she passed away in 1996." Around this time, he started to see the reshaping of his 'hood. The usual signifiers of impending gentrification were all in play. Drugs and crime were up. Property values were down. The Fillmore's proximity to downtown made for potentially high rents. Then came the wrecking balls, turning housing projects to rubble and providing a very physical cue for an exodus of black residents. As he recalls, "The newer people offered those who were living there the opportunity to sell their houses, move out, and make a profit. It didn't sound like such a bad idea — by that point, half the neighborhood had already moved." But his family stayed, retaining the title to their home and bolstering their roots in the area.

Today, the 27-year-old DaVinci makes music shot through with local pride. He's been releasing mixtapes since 2002, plus 2007's "street" album, Butter and Gunz, executive-produced by San Quinn. He sees his debut album as a fitting contribution to the Fillmore's rich musical heritage. In the 1960s, jazz greats Count Basie, Etta James, and Duke Ellington used the area's clubs as their musical playground. During the rapper's own coming of age, it saw the formation of a hip-hop scene boosted by its insularity. The sound of the block was king. As DaVinci recalls: "You couldn't tell me anything about who the best rapper in the mainstream was — we'd listen to cats like San Quinn, JT the Bigga Figga, and D-Moe the Youngsta. Together, they were like the Roc-A-Fella [musical empire] of the Fillmore at the time. Looking at them, I saw that hip-hop could come out of Fillmore and be respected."

Being engulfed by this wave of self-sufficient rappers helped shape DaVinci's outlook. San Quinn, who lived two blocks away, could sometimes be found hustling with DaVinci's pops. JT released records on his own Get Low label at 18; his independent moves fostered DaVinci's expectations of the music industry. He's adamant that running after major labels "isn't even in the picture." And, true to his independence, DaVinci's album eschews the gangsta sheen of his elders in favor of relaying street parables over rugged, melancholy beats. It's a blend that suits his breathy timbre well and ensures the album rewards listeners who prefer carefully wrought lyrics over a quick hook.

It isn't a commercial sound, but DaVinci is confident he has wide appeal. Last month, he journeyed to New York City on a mission to boost his profile by meeting with online media outlets. Back home, he's looking at the positive side of the Fillmore's metamorphosis — caffeine-connoisseur neighbors included. "When we'd perform shows, it used to be all family who'd come, but now it's college students," he explains, before joking, "That's good, 'cause you can charge them more!"

Then he adds, "I think the new mix of ethnicities is the best thing that's happened to the Fillmore. Now it's not just a place where only black people know about the music that's coming out of here. That's a good change."

Download DaVinci's The Day The Turf Stood Still here:
DaVinci's The Day The Turf Stood Still
DaVinci's The Day The Turf Stood Still (alt.link)

Sage Francis 'Li(f)e' Album Artwork & Info

via ANTI-

The new album Li(f)e by hip hop iconoclast Sage Francis is an impassioned and timely critique of cultural hypocrisy and organized religion. The record’s cover art has been created by renowned artist and illustrator Shepard Fairey who first gained notoriety with his "André the Giant” street art and later with his iconic Obama “Hope” poster. For the cover of Li(f)e Fairey has employed his distinctive agitprop style to create a suitably provocative image of an unwavering and winged Francis caught in the crosshairs as flames rise beneath him.

“I really wanted to get a Shepard Fairey album cover sometime in my career,” Francis explains. “I eventually sent him a picture of me which was taken at my most destitute time when I didn’t have anything and I was crashing on my friend’s floor. I was making music but I had to obscure the way I looked because it didn’t fit in with the way people thought hip-hop was supposed to be. But eventually I just took this really ugly photo of myself in all my mutton chop biker mustache whiteness and made it my logo. And Shepard used that old photograph to make this amazing image for the album’s cover.”

Musically Li(f)e is refreshingly unique. Francis’ biting and sardonic wordplay now further empowered by talented musicians including producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine) and Jim Becker and Tim Rutili of acclaimed Chicago outfit Califone. Francis has also enlisted a roster of uniquely talented songwriters including ex Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle, Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie, Tim Fite, members of Calexico, DeVotchKa, and Mark Linkous (R.I.P.) of Sparklehorse – each of whose compositions were then interpreted by Francis and the band. The result is a challenging and defiantly honest new album from an ever evolving artist.

Sage Francis will be performing songs from Li(f)e at the upcoming South By Southwest Festival on Tuesday March 18 at The Independent, 501 Studios, 501 Brushy Street at 12:30 am.

Francis will then be embarking on a North American tour beginning with B. Dolan and Free Moral Agents starting this May.

Sage Francis Tour Dates:

SXSW @ The Independent on Thursday, March 18 at 12:30 a.m.

05/12/10 Cambridge, MA Middle East Downstairs 480 Massachusetts Ave
05/13/10 S. Burlington, VT. Higher Ground 1214 Williston Rd
05/14/10 Portland, ME. Port City Music Hall 504 Congress St
05/15/10 Ottawa, ON. Ritual Nightclub 137 Besserer Street
05/16/10 Toronto ONT The Opera House 735 Queen St. East
05/18/10 Detroit, MI. Alvin's 5756 Cass Ave.
05/19/10 Chicago, IL. The Bottom Lounge 1375 W Lake St
05/20/10 Milwaukee, WI. Turner Hall 1032 North Fourth St.
05/21/10 Minneapolis MN First Avenue, 701 First Avenue North
05/22/10 Columbia MO, The Blue Note 17 North Ninth Street
05/24/10 Englewood, CO. Gothic Theatre 3263 South Broadway
05/25/10 Salt Lake City, UT. Urban Lounge 241 South 500 East
05/26/10 Missoula MT. Badlander 208 Ryman St
05/28/10 Edmonton, AB. The Starlite Room 10030 102 Street NW
05/29/10 Calgary, AB. Distillery 615 7 Ave
05/31/10 Vancouver, BC. The Biltmore Cabaret, 2755 Prince Edward St.
06/01/10 Seattle WA, Showbox SoDo 1700 1st Ave.
06/02/10 Portland, OR. Berbati's Pan 231 SW Ankeny
06/04/10 San Francisco CA, The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd.
06/05/10 Santa Cruz, CA. The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Avenue
06/06/10 Los Angeles CA, Henry Fonda Theater 6126 Hollywood Blvd.
06/07/10 Solana Beach, CA. Belly Up Tavern 143 S. Cedros Ave.
06/09/10 Pomona, CA. The Glass House 200 West Second Street
06/10/10 Tempe, AZ. The Clubhouse 1320 E. Broadway Rd.
06/11/10 Tucson AZ, Club Congress 311 East Congress
06/12/10 Albuquerque NM Sunshine Theater 120 Central Ave. SW
06/14/10 TX, .DALLAS Granada Theatre 3524 Greenville Avenue
06/15/10 Austin TX, Mohawk, 912 Red River
06/16/10 Houston TX House of Blues - Houston 1204 Caroline Street
06/18/10 Orlando FL Club at Firestone 578 North Orange Ave.
06/19/10 Atlanta, GA. The Loft 1374 W. Peachtree
06/21/10 Carrboro , NC. Cat's Cradle 300 East Main Street
06/22/10 Washington DC Rock and Roll Hotel 1353 H St. NE
06/23/10 Baltimore MD, The Ottobar, 2549 North Howard St.
06/24/10 Philadelphia, PA. Trocadero, 1003 Arch Street
06/25/10 New York NY. Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St.